Vermont Updates Hemp and CBD Labeling Requirements

Get the Facts and Prepare your Products

Effective as of May 21, 2020, the State of Vermont Department of Agriculture has made some sweeping updates to the ways they oversee Hemp Farms, CBD companies, processors, etc.  Included within these reforms, we see new guidelines on processing requirements, licensing,  labeling requirements, but also defining the broad vernacular often used within the (entire) Hemp industry.  Most strikingly, it looks like the State is restricting how the term “Vermont Hemp” is used (or not used).

To read the entire update, CLICK HERE, but in the meantime, we’ve boiled down some of the labeling updates.

All guaranteed hemp products or hemp-infused products produced in Vermont must be labeled and traceable to a certificate of analysis for all cannabinoid content label guarantees

We’ve been including a lot of QR codes in many of our recent label designs as a handy means to keep COAs easily updatable and accessible directly from your products.  You can easily add your COA PDF to your CannaPlanners website, by uploading it to your media folder, then linking to it on the applicable product or batch page

All label claims using the term “whole plant,” “isolate,” “full spectrum,” “broad spectrum,” and/or “distillate” shall comply with the applicable definition contained in these rules.

To see these definitions make sure you click through to the original document; all definitions are given in the first few pages

Registrants must label consumable hemp products and hemp-infused products, and All labels for consumable hemp products or hemp-infused products grown or processed in Vermont must contain the following information:

• The name and principal mailing address of the processor of the hemp product or hemp-infused product;
• A statement that the product contains ingredients that are derived from “hemp;”
• An accurate statement of the quantity of the content in weight, measure, or numerical count;
• When offering a guarantee, the guaranteed amount of any listed cannabinoid contained in the product by serving size measured in milligrams, milliliters, or grams;
• A statement that the product contains THC, if applicable; and
• A process lot number.

If a product is sold as a dietary supplement and in compliance with federal Food and Drug Administration manufacturing standards and label requirements, those label requirements supersede the label requirements of the State of Vermont Dept. of Ag.

In addition to these new requirements, there was an interesting mention of the term “Vermont Hemp”.  Back in 2003, the VT Legislature passed a statute that allowed the Secretary to determine or design brands, labels, or trademarks that identify farm products packed in accordance with official grades and standards already established.  A perfect example of this is Vermont Maple Syrup.  However, this same law has been used to co-opt “Vermont Hemp”.  Here’s what it says:

The Secretary establishes and adopts the Vermont Hemp brand under its authority in 6 V.S.A. Chapter 21

Vermont Hemp is a hemp crop, hemp product, or hemp-infused product that satisfies the following standards and is certified by the Agency:

• (a) Vermont Hemp is produced in Vermont as defined in Section 3 by registrants of the Vermont Hemp Program;
• (b) Vermont Hemp is a hemp crop, hemp product, or hemp-infused product exclusively grown and processed in Vermont by registrants that demonstrate compliance with all requirements enumerated by the Secretary;
• (c) Vermont Hemp is tested by a certified laboratory and proven to be compliant with the acceptable potency level and contaminant action levels; and
• (d) Vermont Hemp is compliant with the Vermont Hemp Program’s labeling requirements in Section 11. (mentioned above)

What does it all mean?

According to a representative from the VT Hemp Program, these new regulations should organically be rolled out into your re-prints as you sell out of inventory.  So, no need to panic, but plan on making any necessary updates before you re-order your labels.

This is a lot to take in, but if you have some work to do on updating your labels and you need our help, fill out the form below and someone from our team will get back to you shortly!